Since the last time I posted here, I’ve written two short stories and most of another book.

That’s not as crazy as it sounds, because it’s a middle grade book. Which means a shorter wordcount. I think it’ll clock in at 40k when I’m done, making it shorter than the first middle grade book I wrote. There’s something addictive about being able to finish a chapter in one writing session.

That’s my excuse for why I seldom remember to say things in public about my projects. Social media? Who’s that? Self-marketing? Uhhhh, do I really have to? Uncomplicatedly, when I have a choice for how I’d like to spend my time, I pick what I most want to do, which is writing the actual book.

Meanwhile, continuing beta feedback on the adult novel I finished a couple months ago indicates that people who love Gideon the Ninth also love Carrion Queendom, while people who have limited tolerance for inventive worldbuilding in fantasy–especially inventive worldbuilding that isn’t immediately and exhaustively explained to the reader–feel somewhat lost, but keep reading for the heroine. I do like hearing that my heroine’s got a gravitational pull. That was intentional in-universe, so it’s funny when it works IRL too.

A beta reader strongly recommended that I use Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies as a comp title for Carrion Queendom. Having finished it last night, I can say that yeah, she’s completely right, despite the stark differences in tone and premise. Both have strong-willed heroines who pull wild stunts paired with male protagonists–though Wendell Brambleby is more of a deuteragonist, I guess–both deal with fae, both explore classic fairytale tropes related to enchantment, and both devote ample page space to relationship-building character moments. I really liked Emily and Wendell as characters. They had distinct, fresh personalities, and it was fun when they bounced off each other.

There’s definitely more I can say about my newest project(s)……… Or I can just go back to working. Guess which I’m inclined to.